Smashwords and erotica

Quite the storm seems to have come up over the decision of Smashwords.com’s owner Mark Coker, to “ban erotica” from Smashwords.

People who just see the headline and go into a hissy-fit over censorship and an attack on free speech, should take the time to read the entire article, which is available in the Smashword pressroom.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

It is not Smashwords who started this. It is Paypal.com, who has somehow noticed an amazing amount of payments happening for said category.

It is not the entire erotica section that is affected. The problem is erotica that deals with incest, rape and/or bestiality. Again, read the entire statement with some attention, and it will become clear.

I fully understand that Mark Coker agreed with this, subjects like that are not things that that belong on a site like Smashwords. Or anywhere else.